Auston Matthews' injury shows no structural damage and recovery expected during Christmas break (Source: Imagn)
Auston Matthews missed the Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday because of an upper-body injury. He played and scored in the team's 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres the day before but did not fully participate in the morning skate.
Matthews took two hard hits during the Sabres game, one from Tage Thompson and another from Dennis Gilbert, but finished the game.
Discussing on Dec. 23's episode of the "First Up Podcast," insider Darren Dreger said Matthews' injury is not structural. He also mentioned that it is an aggravation of an earlier issue.
“It is more of the same, but it doesn't sound like the Toronto feel like they're going to have to take the same path to get Auston Matthews healthy enough to get back around the ice," Dreger said.
